Bull board for cattle cars



Nov. 6,1923. 1,473,494

F. J. S. MIELY BULL BOARD FOR CATTLE CARS Filed March 29, 1922 2 Shee t s-Sheet 1 Tiql.

A TTORNEYS Nov. 6 1923. 1,473,494 F. J. 5. MIELY BULL BOARD FOR CATTLE CARS Filed March 29 1.922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 5 .L Q 25,

WITNESSES IN VENTOR 7 9-63 Ja miezy A TTORNEYS 'Mffi Patented Nov. 6, 1923.

FRED J. S. MIELY, OF GENTRY, ARKANSAS.

BULL BOARD FOR CATTLE cans.

. Application filed March 29, 1922. Serial No. 547,772.

bar adapted to be disposed across the doorway of a cattle car at the inner side about midway in the height of the doorway to keep the cattle from the door opening.

The general object of the invention is to provide a bull board improved in various particulars, whereby it may be disposed across the doorway and quickly secured in a manner to prevent the board from being accidentally moved from its position, a'more specific object being to provide novel means for permitting movements of the bull board from the position across the doorway to a vertical position at a side of the doorway and held to the door frame.

The nature of the invention and its dis tinguishing features and characteristics will clearly appear as the description proceeds.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing the board positioned across a doorway at the inside thereof;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section as indicated by the line 22, Figure 1;

igure 3 is a vertical section as indicated by the line 33, Figure 1, but showing the board disposed vertically at a-side of the doorway instead of across the doorway as in Figure 1:

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the means for swingably and turnably mounting the bull board;

Figure 5 is a detail in horizontal section as indicated by the line 5-5, Figure 1.

In the illustrated example A indicates a portion of a cattle car and B (Figure 2) a door which may be of any approved type, the door forming no part of the present invention.

The numeral 10 indicates the door frame members at opposite sides, and 11 designates generally my improved bull board. A hinge butt or leaf 12 is secured to one upright door frame member 10 and a swingable hinge leaf 13 is secured to the board 11, the numeral 14 indicating the hinge pin. The hinge member 13 has a cut-out 13 in the knuckle thereof and the lower knuckle of the hinge member 12 has a notch or cutout 15 in the upper edge, both for a purpose presently explained.

The swingable hinge element 13 has secured to its outer edge the eye 16 of a shank 11 which passes transversely through a longitudinal slot 18 in the board 11, said shank having an upset head 19 and washer 19 at the opposite side of the board 11 from that to which the hinge element 13 is secured. The plate 20 rigid with the bull board 11 at the hinge end has a hook 21 projecting beyond the end of the bull board to engage in the notch 13 as shown in Figure 1 and in full lines in Figure 2.

There is play of the hinge element 13 permitted vertically on the hinge pin 14 between the knuckles 12 of the hinge 12.'

At the opposite side of the doorway from the hinge elements 12, 13, a recess 22 is formed 1n the frame member to receive endwise the free 'end of the bull board 11, said recess 22 being presented by a housing or keeper 23. The free end of the bull board 11 has rigid therewith a shouldered catch 24 adapted to be entered in the keeper 23 and a dog 25 pivoted as at 26 in said keeper is adapted to be swung to a position to engage'catch 24 to hold the bull board against movement or to the dotted line position indicated in F i ure 1 for the release of the bull board. A s oulder 27 on the dog 25 afi'ords engagement by a finger for turning the dog from the holding position to the release position.

At the hinge side of the doorway at the top, I provide a keeper 28 generally U- shaped to receive the board 11 when disposed vertically. Said keeper 28 has a member 28 suitably fastened to the door frame member 10 by a pin 29. Said pin also pivotally secures a retainer 30 hav ng a rounded surface 31 constituting a cam, said retainer being disposed across the open end of the keeper and serving to retain the bull board 11 when the latter is in the vertical position and engaged by the keeper 28. The projected end 32 of the retainer 30 forms a fingerhold for manually swinging the retainer to release .the holder. \Vhen the bull board swings to the vertical position as in dotted lines, Figure 1, from the full line position, Figure 1, as said bull board approaches the keeper 28 and strikes the rounded surface 31, the retainer 30 will be automatically moved away from the keeper permitting the bull board to enter the keeper after which the retainer 30 automatically returns to its retaining position.

With the bull board 11 disposed across the door opening as in Figure 1 the rocking of the dog 25 will disengage the shoulder 24 and release the bull board, leaving it free to have an outward movement to carry its end out of the housing 23. The disengagement of the bull board 11 from the housing 23 is effected by throwing its opposite end laterally outward and at the same time moving it rearwardly in its own plane in a direction to withdraw it from the housing 23, which movements of the bull board include incidentally the swinging of the hinge element 13, relatively to hinge element- 12, the element 13 swinging about the pin 14. The hull board may now be turned through an arc of 180 with the shank 19 as the center which latter movement, together with the hinge movement about the axis of the pin 14, finally causes the bull board to enter the keeper 28, it being understood that the bull board drops by reason of the slot 18 until the shank 19 is disposed at the upper end of the now vertical slot 18. The reverse movements serve to dispose the bull board 11 across the door opening in an obvious manner, whereupon the throwing of the dog 25 will hold the bull board 11 in position.

The plate 20 may be secured by any suitable means, there being indicated for the purpose two screws 33.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the exact details herein illustrated, since, manifestly, the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A bull board for the doorways of cattle cars, a hinge, and means slidably and loosely securing said bull board at one end to said hinge, the bull board being turnable in its own plane about said meansand swingable horizontally on said hinge, said hinge being adapted to be secured to the car adjacent the doorway, and said bullboard when in position extending across said doorway.

2. A bull board for cattle cars, a hinge,

and means slidably secured to said bull board at one end and loosely connected with said hinge, the bull board being turnable in its own plane about said slidable means and swingable with the hinge element secured thereto, the other element of the hinge being adapted to be secured to the car at the doorway; together With a hook on the bull board at the hinge end adapted to engage said hinge when the bull board is in position in the doorway.

3. A bull board for cattle cars, a hinge, one element of the hinge having a cut-out at its hinge end, the other hinge element being adapted to be secured to the car at the doorway and having its lower knuckle formed with a notch in the upper edge thereof, the one hinge the hinge pin relatively to the other hinge element to engage the latter element in the said notch, and a shank loosely connected with the first-mentioned hinge element, said bull board having a longitudinal slot through v element having vertical play on 4 which said shank passes, the slot permitting a sliding movement of bull board relatively to the shank and turning movement about the axis of the shank.

4. A bull board for cattle cars, a hinge. one element of the hinge having a cut-out at its hinge end, the other hinge element being adapted to be secured to the car at the doorway and having its lower knuckle formed with a notch in the upper edge thereof, the one hinge element havingvertical play on the hinge pinrelatively to the other hinge element to engage the latter element in the said notch, a shank loosely connected with the first-mentioned hinge element, said bull board having a longitudinal slot through which said shank passes, the slot permitting a sliding movement of bull board relatively to the shank and turning movement about the axis of the shank, and a hook projecting beyond the bull boa-rd adapted to engage the pin of said hinge.

5. The combination with a cattle car, of a bull board, provided with a longitudinal slot, a'hinge secured to the car at one side of the doorway, means projecting through said slot turnably securing the bull board to one hinge element so that said board can be turned through an are about said means in addition to a horizontal swinging movement on the hinge, and means on the car at the other side of the doorway toretain the bull board in the horizontal position across the doorway.

6. The combination with a cattle car, of a bull board, provided with a longitudinal slot, a hinge secured to the car at one side of the doorway, means projecting through said slot turnably securing the bull board to one hinge element so that said board can be turned through an are about said means in addition to a horizontal swinging movement on the hinge, means on the car to retain the bull board in the horizontal position across the doorway, and means to secure the bull board disposed vertically at the hinge side of the doorway.

7. The combination with a cattle car, of a bull board, a hinge with one member secured to the car at one side of the doorway, a shank loosely connected with the other hinge member, said board having a longitudinal slot through which said" shank extends, the slot permitting a vertical swinging of the bull board through an arc with the said shank as a center and said hinge permitting said board to swing horizontally, a keeper on the doorway at the opposite side from the board hinge into which that end of the bull board opposite the hinge may enter, means to engage said opposite end and hold the bull board in position.

8. The combination with a cattle car, of a bull board, a hinge with one member secured to the car at one side of the doorway, a shank loosely connected with the other hinge member, said board having a longitudinal slot through which said shank extends, the slot permitting the swinging of the bull board through an arc with thesaid shank as a center, a keeper on the doorway at the opposite side from the door hinge into which that end'of the bull board opposite the hinge may enter, means to en age said opposite end and hold the bull bear in position, a keeper on. the car at the hinge side of the doorway above the hinge, and a retainer adapted to be disposed across said keeper to hold the bull board in the keeper, said retainer having a rounded am surface at the outer side to be engaged by the bull board for tripping the retainer.

9. A bull board for the doorwa s of cattle cars, provided with a longitu inal slot, a hinge adapted to be secured to a car door frame, and means slidably securing said hin e to the slotted end of the bull board, sai bull board being vertically turnable through an arc in its own plane with said means as a center in addition to a horizontal swingable movement of the board on said hinge for swinging the same to or from the doorway.

- FRED J. S. MIELY. 

